STEF Martin played his 50th match against Port Adelaide at Adelaide Oval last Sunday. He spoke to melbournefc.com.au editor Matt Burgan about his breakout season

Firstly, how did you assess the final round performance against Port Adelaide?  

It was a good chance to finish the year off on a high. We played some good footy, but it was a bit of a shame to go into the break like that. We’ve just got next year to look forward to now.

Personally, you came on in leaps and bounds this year. Is that how you felt about your season?

I felt this [season] could be a springboard to launch bigger and better things next year. I’ve got a long way to go and I’ve still got a lot of improvement in me.

What was the biggest attribute you gained from the season?

The biggest thing that I took from this year was confidence. In the AFL it’s so important to have confidence. Hopefully I can have a big pre-season and have a good year next year.

You played your 50^th AFL match in round 24. What did that milestone mean to you?

You get into the territory of having a few games under your belt and your own expectations rise and so does the expectations of your teammates. You’ve been there for a little while, so I’m really happy to get to 50 games - I never would’ve thought I’d play 50 games of AFL five years ago.

Overall, how did you assess Melbourne’s season?

Expectations were reasonably high, because we and the outside supporters saw the potential we had. It’s probably fair to say we didn’t reach those expectations.

At this very early stage, what are your thoughts about Melbourne heading into 2012?

We are still in a development phase and the positive thing is that if a team like West Coast can turn it around within two years - from where they were, to where they are now - then we can. We’ve got a lot of talented kids and some experienced players as well.

With the season now over, what’s your plans for the break?

After a year like this, where I’ve played a few games, I’m going to get away overseas, try to relax and clear my head a bit.

Do you take a different approach over the break this year, given your strong 2011 season?  

It was different last year when I hadn’t played much footy and I just stayed in Melbourne and trained. But it’s a different situation now, so I just want to get away and refocus with a lot of energy.

Now that you've achieved 50 matches, do you feel like you belong in the AFL?

I feel like I belong. It’s hard because each player knows what improvement they need to make. I have a lot of improvement to make, but I feel like I belong, so my own expectations are going to be pretty high in the future. So I wouldn’t want to rest on a year like this.

Do you feel the pressure will go up on you next year?

Yeah and I think that’s a good thing. Those expectations for me personally can motivate and drive me, so I welcome that.